Hyatt Gold Passport and American AAdvantage have teamed together to offer an additional 25% bonus when converting hotel points to miles.
Hyatt Gold Passport Transfers
Under normal circumstances, you can transfer 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points into 2,000 AAdvantage miles. 5,000 points is the level for Category 1 properties, so take that into account when deciding whether to transfer your points. The bonus gives you an additional 25%, or 500 miles on that 2,000 point transfer. You get yet another bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 50,000 Gold Passport Points.
As always, read the terms and conditions of the deal. For example, if you are counting on the bonus points for an AAdvantage award, you should know that it may take six to eight weeks for them to arrive.
Is It Worth It?
Whenever considering whether you should transfer points from one program to another, the key factor should be whether such a transfer would suit your goals. I talk to many people, particularly novices, who transfer points whenever they have the opportunity because they want to keep a single currency. That’s not always the best strategy.
When adding the bonus onto the 50,000 point transfer level, even the “best rate” conversion of 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points turns into 31,250 AAdvantage miles. To put that in perspective, 50,000 GP points gets you a night in a suite anywhere in the world, or two nights in a standard room at a Category Six hotel, the second highest level. Another way to look at it is to value Hyatt points at anywhere from 1.5c to 2c. You would need those 31,250 miles to be worth $750 – $1,000. Good luck with that.
On the other hand, 31,250 miles doesn’t get you what it once did. The days of getting a domestic ticket anywhere you want to go for 25,000 miles are over. Those 31,250 miles won’t get you very far.
The Bottom Line
You’re getting a small bonus if transferring GP points into AAdvantage miles, but make sure you need to do so. If the points are the last few you need to get an award that you have been targeting, that’s one thing. But you don’t have to convert points simply because there’s a bonus. Instead, use those hotel points for your stay when you fly somewhere with more economically acquired miles.
Cover Photo Credit: Hyatt.com
